Why I Love to Say Selly Sell and Other Human Business Works Secrets

I used to hate to sell. Until I learned what it meant to do so. Or at least what it means when you do it well.

Selling is helping someone acquire something of value to them and capturing some part of that value for yourself in return. S. Anthony Iannarino has a much better definition, but that’s what I’ll use for now. Why? Because it’s easiest for me to get my head around it. Because that’s the best kind of selling. One of us has something useful. The other of us needs that useful thing. We exchange some kind of value. The transaction is made.

The Evolution of “Pitchy Pitch, Selly Sell.”

On my beloved newsletter, the best thing I do all week, if I’m going to sell to you, I’ll tell you right up front. Either in the subject line or in the first line of the newsletter, I’ll tell you something like, WARNING: THE FOLLOWING WILL CONTAIN A PITCHY PITCH. This elicits two responses:

“I love when you say ‘pitchy pitch’ and ‘selly sell,’ because you let me know so I can decide if I’m in the mood to read it.”

“I hate when you say ‘pitchy pitch’ and ‘selly sell,’ because you should be proud and unashamed of selling, if the product is worth it.”

Without fail, every time I sell and use that kind of labeling, I get that response. Oh, and I sell stuff, too. Here’s why I do it.

I want you to know every time I’m going to push more sales than content. Now, in my case, content is intrinsically tied to my selling. But in your case, it might not be. But what’s the problem in keying people into the fact that you intend to sell to them?

Know what most people’s reply is? “People might be turned off that you’re announcing that you’re selling something, so you should just gently guide them into it.” So, in other words, I should hide and conceal the fact I’m going to ask you to buy something.

The Age of “Surprising” People Into Buying Was Over a While Ago

Do people really like surprises of that nature? “Hah! You thought this was useful content, but it’s really a sales pitch! Surprise!” Cue the pinata and the people with horns. No. We don’t.

We are the smartest buyers the world has ever known. We do most of our research long before we choose to buy or not buy. And more so, in these blended content marketing channels, if there’s some question whether something is leading towards a sale or not, that just starts a little bubble in our bellies about whether we trust the person talking with us.

Will it hurt your bottom line to be clear when you’re selling? Not if you’re selling something you want. Not if you’re actually a caring person who has a product that your prospects want to buy.

And if that’s nto the case, then maybe you’re doing something a bit… well, wrong?

The Human Business Way

We believe in building sustainable, relationship-minded business. That’s why people who buy our courses tend to buy more than one. Because they know we’re in it to help. Because we’re not here to pull the rug out. Because it’s FAR more profitable and sustainable to sell to you with clear intent, so that you can choose to buy or not.